This invention relates to a food package that can be placed directly in a conventional or microwave oven along with the food product which is packaged therein.
Packaged foods, such as packaged frozen foods, are manufactured and sold extensively throughout the United States and the world. These foods offer the consumer a convenient alternative to preparing foods from "scratch". For example, frozen pizzas are sold which, typically, are packaged with a paperboard base and shrink wrapping. These pizzas can be placed either in a conventional oven or a microwave oven. When it is desired to heat the pizza in a conventional oven, the shrink wrapping and the paperboard base are removed and discarded and the frozen pizza is placed on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil and then placed into the conventional oven.
For microwave frozen pizzas, it is known to provide a package consisting of a box which contains the frozen pizza. The box includes microwave susceptor material. In use, the box is opened and placed in the microwave oven along with the pizza and then subjected to microwave energy.
There are several problems with current ovenable food packages. For microwavable food packages, if the package rests on a part of the oven which acts as a heat sink to conduct heat away heat from the receptor material, it takes longer to heat the food product than should be necessary. Also, the food product tends to be heated non-uniformly, thus causing "cold spots" in the food product. Another major problem with many microwavable food packages is that moisture contained in the food product causes steam, and this steam must escape the product in order to avoid sogginess. In many "closed packages" the steam cannot escape. Finally, and especially for microwavable frozen pizzas, the cheese toppings can melt and overflow over the sides of the crust and under the crust causing sticking of the pizza to the package, a phenomenon known in the trade as "wicking".
The above problems are also present with other microwavable food products such as french fries, pocket sandwiches, pies and bakery products. In addition, food manufacturers, because of the above problems, have not made other microwavable food products that could be made and marketed if the above problems were not present.
What is needed, therefore, is an ovenable food package that can be placed into a conventional or microwave oven along with the food product desired to be cooked. The ovenable food package needed not only must facilitate uniform and efficient heating of the food product, but also must be constructed and arranged such that sogginess of the cooked food product is avoided.